Dual Heat Strip And Removable Tray For A Vacuum Sealing Machine

ABSTRACT

A vacuum sealing machine includes a base assembly having an upper base portion removably secured to a lower base portion and displacing relative to the lower base portion from a closed position to an open position. Two or more heating strips are disposed on the lower base portion, and each of the heating strips is adapted to seal a portion of an open end of a sealable bag disposed between the lower and upper base portions. At least one securement feature is disposed on the upper base portion and is adapted to apply pressure to a portion of the open end of the inserted sealable bag when the sealable bag is sealed by at least one of the heating strips. In addition, A control unit including at least one microprocessor and a memory unit is in communication with each of the two or more heating strips.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to machines that preserve food, and,more particularly, to vacuum sealing machines.

BACKGROUND

Vacuum sealing machines are typically used by consumers to package adesired portion of perishable items (e.g., food, such as meat) in amanner that preserves the food during long term-storage, such as storagein a freezer. To use the vacuum sealing machine, the desired portion offood is placed in an open end of an appropriately-sized plastic sealablebag. The open end of the bag is then inserted into a receiving portion,such as a slot, of the vacuum sealing machine, and a vacuum process isinitiated by the user to evacuate air from the interior of the bag. Whenthe air evacuation process is complete, a heat sealer creates atransverse seal across the open end of the bag to create a completelysealed package enclosing the portion of food.

Typically, a large quantity of food is vacuum sealed at the same time.In such instances, frequent use causes the temperature of the heatsealer to rise and remain at unacceptable levels. When at such levels,placing the open end of the bag in contact with the heat sealer, whichoccurs during the air evacuation process, results in unwanted sealing ofthe bag before air is fully evacuated. To avoid such unwanted prematuresealing, the heat sealer must be allowed to cool between uses to atemperature in which no premature sealing of the bag occurs. However, itis difficult for the user to determine when the temperature falls to anacceptable level, and the user wastes a significant amount of timewaiting for the temperature to fall.

In addition, food particles and liquid can spill out of the open end ofthe bag and into a vacuum chamber formed in an interior portion of thevacuum sealing machine during the air evacuation process. Such a vacuumchamber is typically difficult to access when it is desired to clean thevacuum chamber after use. Further, a user typically uses a single-sizedopen-ended plastic sealable bag regardless of the size of the portion tobe preserved. Thus, bag space is wasted or multiple bags are used when asingle, larger bag is desired.

Accordingly, there is a need for a vacuum sealing machine that does notprematurely seal an open end of a sealable bag and does not requiresignificant downtime to wait for the heat sealer to cool. There is alsoa need for a more accessible vacuum chamber to make cleaning moreconvenient. Moreover, there is a need for a custom bag creator thateasily allows for the creation of a desired bag size.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A vacuum sealing machine includes a base assembly having a lower baseportion having a lower vacuum gasket and an upper base portion removablysecured to the lower base portion, the upper base portion having anupper vacuum gasket. The upper base portion displaces relative to thelower base portion from a first closed position to a second openposition, and the lower vacuum gasket and the upper vacuum gasketcooperate to at least partially define a vacuum chamber in the firstclosed position. The vacuum sealing machine also includes two or moreheating strips disposed on a first one of the lower base portion or theupper base portion of the base assembly, and each of the two or moreheating strips is adapted to seal a portion of an open end of a sealablebag disposed between the lower base portion and the upper base portion.The vacuum sealing machine further includes at least one securementfeature disposed on a second one of the lower base portion or the upperbase portion of the base assembly, and the at least one securementfeature is adapted to apply pressure to a portion of the open end of theinserted sealable bag when the sealable bag is sealed by at least one ofthe heating strips. In addition, the vacuum sealing machine includes acontrol unit including at least one microprocessor and a memory unit,and the control unit is in communication with each of the two or moreheating strips.

A method of controlling a vacuum sealing machine having a lower baseportion and an upper base portion that displaces relative to the lowerbase portion from a first closed position to a second open positionincludes issuing a first command by a control unit of the vacuum sealingmachine to energize a first heating strip disposed on one of the lowerbase portion or the upper base portion to heat a portion of an open endof a first sealable bag disposed between the lower base portion and theupper base portion in the first closed position. The method alsoincludes issuing a second command by the control unit of the vacuumsealing machine to energize a second heating strip disposed adjacent tothe first heating strip disposed on one of the lower base portion or theupper base portion to heat a portion of an open end of a second sealablebag disposed between the lower base portion and the upper base portionin the first closed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of an embodiment of a lower baseportion of a vacuum sealing machine;

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the embodiment of the lower baseportion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a third perspective view of the embodiment of the lower baseportion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the embodiment of the lower base portion ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the embodiment of the lower base portion ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a first side view of the embodiment of the lower base portionof FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a second side view of the embodiment of the lower base portionof FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an upper base portionof a vacuum sealing machine;

FIG. 9 is a side view of an embodiment of a vacuum sealing machine in aclosed position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vacuum sealingmachine in an open position;

FIG. 11 is a first side view of an embodiment of a vacuum sealingmachine in an open position;

FIG. 12 is a second side view of an embodiment of a vacuum sealingmachine in an open position;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an first upper hinge member or secondupper hinge member;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vacuum sealingmachine in an open position;

FIG. 15 is diagram of an embodiment of a control function of anembodiment of a custom bag assembly;

FIG. 16 is diagram of an embodiment of a control function of anembodiment of a custom bag assembly;

FIG. 17 is diagram of an embodiment of a control function of anembodiment of a custom bag assembly;

FIG. 18 is diagram of an embodiment of a control function of anembodiment of a custom bag assembly;

FIG. 19 is diagram of an embodiment of a control function of anembodiment of a custom bag assembly;

FIG. 20 is diagram of an embodiment of a control function of anembodiment of a custom bag assembly;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a housing including avacuum sealing machine and a custom-sized bag creator assembly;

FIGS. 22A to 22C are various views of an embodiment of a housingincluding a vacuum sealing machine and a custom-sized bag creatorassembly;

FIGS. 23 to 26 are various perspective views of various embodiments of ahousing including a vacuum sealing machine and a custom-sized bagcreator assembly;

FIGS. 27A to 34 are various front views of various embodiments of ahousing including a vacuum sealing machine and a custom-sized bagcreator assembly;

FIG. 35A is a front view of an embodiments of a housing including avacuum sealing machine and a custom-sized bag creator assembly; and

FIG. 35B is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 35A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 14, a base assembly 10 of a vacuum sealingmachine may include a lower base portion 12 and an upper base portion 14that cooperate to (1) form a vacuum chamber to evacuate fluid, such asair, from an open end of an inserted sealable bag and (2) seal (e.g.,heat seal) the open end of the inserted sealable bag, such as a plasticbag. Either (or both) of the lower base portion 12 and the upper baseportion 14 may include a plurality of heating areas, such as heatingstrips 16, and either or both of the lower base portion 12 and the upperbase portion 14 may include a securement feature (such as an elongatedgasket) that applies pressure to a portion of the open end of theinserted sealable bag when the sealable bag is sealed by one or more ofthe plurality of heating areas.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, the lower base portion 12may include two heating strips 16 a, 16 b, and each heating strip 16 a,16 b may be elongated and may extend along a longitudinal axis 18 a, 18b that may each be parallel to the Y-axis of the reference coordinatesystem provided in FIG. 1. Each of the two heating strips 16 a, 16 b mayextend from a first end to a longitudinally-opposite second end. Thefirst end may be disposed at or adjacent to a first lateral edge portionof the lower base portion 12 and the second end may be disposed at oradjacent to a second lateral edge portion of the lower base portion 12.Instead of a single heat strip extending from the first end to thesecond end, each strip may be an assembly of segments that cooperate toform the heating strip, and the segments may cooperate to extend fromthe first end to the second end. Each of the two heating strips 16 a, 16b may be identical, and each of the two heating strips 16 a, 16 b may bedisposed parallel to a longitudinal axis 20 a of an elongated vacuumgasket 22 a that at least partially defines a vacuum chamber 24 (e.g.,see FIG. 9). While two heating strips 16 a, 16 b are illustrated, anynumber of heating strips in any configuration is contemplated. Eachheating strip 16 a, 16 b may provide heat in any suitable manner, suchas by electrical resistance. Accordingly, each heating strip 16 a, 16 bmay be connected to a source of electricity. Each heating strip 16 a, 16b may be in communication with a control unit that may include at leastone microprocessor and a memory unit.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the upper base portion 14 maybe adapted to releasably engage or couple with the lower base portion 12in a closed position (illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 9). The upperbase portion 14 may releasably engage the lower base portion 12 manuallyor automatically. For example, the user may pivot the upper base portion14 towards the lower base portion 12. In the closed position, a vacuumgasket 22 b of the upper base portion 14 may be aligned or substantiallyaligned with the vacuum gasket 22 a of the lower base portion 12, andthe vacuum gasket 22 b of the upper base portion 14 and the vacuumgasket 22 a of the lower base portion 12 may cooperate to define thevacuum chamber 24. The upper base portion 14 may include a plurality ofsecurement features 26. Each securement feature 26 may be an elongatedgasket 27 a, 27 b having a planar or slightly curved bottom portion thatoverlaps or contacts a corresponding portion of a corresponding one ofthe heating strips 16 a, 16 b when the upper and lower base portions 12,14 are in the closed position (and when a bag or other item to be sealedis not disposed over the heating strip 16 a, 16 b). In the closedposition with a sealable bag inserted, the securement features 26provide pressure to the portion or portions of the sealable bag thatengage (i.e., are heated by) the heating strips 16 a, 16 b to form anairtight seal across the open end of the sealable bag.

While the Figures illustrate that the two heating strips 16 a, 16 b arearranged on the lower base portion 12 and the elongated gaskets 27 a, 27b are disposed on the upper base portion 14, the two heating strips 16a, 16 b may be arranged on the upper base portion 14 and the elongatedgaskets 27 a, 27 b may be disposed on the lower base portion 12.

Each of the plurality of securement features 26 may correspond inlength, orientation, and general size to a corresponding heating strip16 a, 16 b. For example, the upper base portion 14 may include twogaskets 27 a, 27 b that each extend along a longitudinal axis 28 a, 28 bthat may each be parallel to the Y-axis of the reference coordinatesystem provided in FIG. 1. Each of the two gaskets 27 a, 27 b may extendfrom a first end to a longitudinally-opposite second end. The first endmay be disposed at or adjacent to a first lateral edge portion of theupper base portion 14 and the second end may be disposed at or adjacentto a second lateral edge portion of the upper base portion 14. Insteadof each gasket being a single gasket 27 a, 27 b extending from the firstend to the second end, each gasket 27 a, 27 b may be an assembly ofsegments that cooperate to form the gaskets 27 a, 27 b, and the segmentsmay cooperate to extend from the first end to the second end. Each ofthe two gaskets 27 a, 27 b may be identical, and each of the two gaskets27 a, 27 b may be disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis 20 b of theelongated vacuum gasket 22 b. While two gaskets 27 a, 27 b areillustrated, any number of gaskets 27 a, 27 b in any suitableconfiguration may be used.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 14, the lower base portion 12 may includeone or more lower mating features 30 and the upper base portion 14 mayinclude one or more upper mating features 32 that cooperate with thelower mating features 30 to couple the lower base portion 12 to theupper base portion 14. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12,the one or more upper mating features 32 may cooperate with the lowermating features 30 to removably and rotatably couple the lower baseportion 12 to the upper base portion 14. However, the one or more uppermating features 32 may cooperate with the lower mating features 30 tocouple the lower base portion 12 to the upper base portion 14 in anon-removable manner such that the one or more upper mating features 32may cooperate with the lower mating features 30 to form a permanenthinge.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the one or more lower mating features30 may include a first lower hinge member 34 a and a second lower hingemember 34 b disposed on the lower base portion 12. The first lower hingemember 34 a may be disposed along or adjacent to a lateral edge 36 ofthe lower base portion 12 that is parallel to (or substantially parallelto) the Y-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIGS. 1 and 10, andthe vacuum gasket 22 a may be disposed between the two heating strips 16a, 16 b and the lateral edge 36. The first lower hinge member 34 a mayalso be disposed along or adjacent to a first transverse edge 38 of thelower base portion 12 that is parallel to (or substantially parallel to)the X-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIGS. 1 and 10. Thesecond lower hinge member 34 b may be disposed along or adjacent to thelateral edge 36 of the lower base portion 12 that is parallel to (orsubstantially parallel to) the Y-axis of the reference coordinate systemof FIG. 10. The second lower hinge member 34 b may also be disposedalong or adjacent to a second transverse edge 40 of the lower baseportion 12 that is parallel to (or substantially parallel to) the firsttransverse edge 38.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 10, and 12, the first lower hinge member 34 amay include a support portion 42 a, and a receiving portion 44 a thatmay be defined in a surface of the support portion 42 a. The receivingportion 44 a may be an aperture formed through the surface of thesupport portion 42 a or may be a cavity formed by a portion of acylindrical wall that extends inward (i.e., along or parallel to theY-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10) from the surfaceof the support portion 42 a. The aperture or cavity may have a circularcross-sectional shape or any suitable cross-sectional shape. Theaperture or cavity may extend along a longitudinal axis that extendsalong or parallel to the Y-axis of the reference coordinate system ofFIG. 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 10, and 11, the second lower hinge member 34b may include a support portion 42 b, and a receiving portion 44 b maybe defined in a surface of the support portion 42 b. The second lowerhinge member 34 b may be identical to, but a minor image of, the firstlower hinge member 34 a. Specifically, the receiving portion 44 b may bea aperture formed through the surface of the support portion 42 b or maybe a cavity formed by a portion of a cylindrical wall that extendsinward (i.e., along or parallel to the Y-axis of the referencecoordinate system of FIG. 10 and towards the first transverse edge 38)from the surface of the support portion 42 b. The aperture or cavity mayextend along a longitudinal axis that extends along or parallel to theY-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12, the upper base portion 14 may includeone or more upper mating features 32, and the one or more upper matingfeatures 32 may include a first upper hinge member 46 a and a secondupper hinge member 46 b. The first upper hinge member 46 a may beadapted to releasably engage the first lower hinge member 34 a, and thesecond upper hinge member 46 b may be adapted to releasably engage thesecond lower hinge member 34 b.

Still referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the first upper hinge member 46 a mayinclude a cantilevered tab portion 48 a that extends generally along theZ-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10 when the upper baseportion 14 is in the closed position. The tab portion 48 a may bedisposed along or adjacent to a lateral edge 50 of the upper baseportion 14 that is parallel to (or substantially parallel to) the Y-axisof the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10. The tab portion 48 a mayalso be disposed along or adjacent to a first transverse edge 52 (seeFIG. 10) of the upper base portion 14 that is parallel to (orsubstantially parallel to) the X-axis of the reference coordinate systemof FIG. 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, a projection 54 a may be disposed on orextend from a surface of the tab portion 48 a that faces the surface ofthe support portion 42 a of the first lower hinge member 34 a thatincludes the receiving portion 44 a when the lower base portion 12 iscoupled to the upper base portion 14. The projection 54 a may have afront face 56 a and a side wall 58 a, and the side wall 58 a may have acylindrical shape having a longitudinal axis that extends along orparallel to the Y-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10.The longitudinal axis of the side wall 58 a of the projection 54 a maycoaxially align with the longitudinal axis of the aperture or cavity ofthe receiving portion 44 a of the first lower hinge member 34 a, and allor a portion of the projection 54 a (such as all or part of the sidewall 58 a of the projection 54 a) may be received into the aperture orcavity of the receiving portion 44 a such that the projection 54 a mayrotate within the aperture or cavity of the receiving portion 44 a. Theprojection 54 a may be dimensioned such that the diameter may beslightly less than (e.g., 5% to 15% less that) the diameter of theaperture or cavity of the receiving portion 44 a. The front face 58 amay be planar or partially planar, and may extend along the X-Z plane ofthe reference coordinate system of FIG. 10. Alternatively, the frontface 56 a may be angled to facilitate the insertion of the projection 54within the receiving portion 44 a. In other contemplated embodiments,the front face 56 a may be or include a contoured surface, such as aspherical surface, and the side wall 58 a and the front face 56 a maycooperate to form a rounded nub or spherical nub. The tab portion 48 amay be cantilevered from a bottom portion of the upper base portion 14such that the tab portion 48 a may flex in the direction of the Y-axisof the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10 to allow the projection 54a to be inserted into (and removed from) the receiving portion 44 a.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12, the one or more upper mating features32 of the upper base portion 14 may include the second upper hingemember 46 b. The second upper hinge member 46 b may be adapted toreleasably engage the second lower hinge member 34 b, and the secondupper hinge member 46 b may be identical to, but a minor image of, thefirst upper hinge member 46 a. Specifically, the second upper hingemember 46 b may include a cantilevered tab portion 48 b that extendsgenerally along the Z-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10when the upper base portion 14 is in the closed position. The tabportion 48 b may be disposed along or adjacent to the lateral edge 52 ofthe upper base portion 14 that is parallel to (or substantially parallelto) the Y-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10. The tabportion 48 b may also be disposed along or adjacent to a secondtransverse edge 60 (see FIG. 11) that is parallel to and offset from thefirst transverse edge 52 of the upper base portion 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, a projection 54 b may be disposed on orextend from a surface of the tab portion 48 a that faces the surface ofthe support portion 42 b of the second lower hinge member 34 b thatincludes the receiving portion 44 b when the lower base portion 12 iscoupled to the upper base portion 14. The projection 54 b may have afront face 56 b and a side wall 58 b, and the side wall 58 b may have acylindrical shape having a longitudinal axis that extends along orparallel to the Y-axis of the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10.The longitudinal axis of the side wall 58 b of the projection 54 b maycoaxially align with the longitudinal axis of the aperture or cavity ofthe receiving portion 44 b of the second lower hinge member 34 b, andall or a portion of the projection 54 b (such as all or part of the sidewall 58 b of the projection 54 b) may be received into the aperture orcavity of the receiving portion 44 b such that the projection 54 b mayrotate within the aperture or cavity of the receiving portion 44 b. Theprojection 54 b may be dimensioned such that the diameter may beslightly less than (e.g., 5% to 15% less that) the diameter of theaperture or cavity of the receiving portion 44 b. The front face 58 bmay be planar or partially planar, and may extend along the X-Z plane ofthe reference coordinate system of FIG. 10. Alternatively, the frontface 56 b may be angled to facilitate the insertion of the projection 54b within the receiving portion 44 b. In other contemplated embodiments,the front face 56 b may be or include a contoured surface, such as aspherical surface, and the side wall 58 b and the front face 56 b maycooperate to form a rounded nub or spherical nub. The tab portion 48 bmay be cantilevered from a bottom portion of the upper base portion 14such that the tab portion 48 b may flex in the direction of the Y-axisof the reference coordinate system of FIG. 10 to allow the projection 54b to be inserted into (and removed from) the receiving portion 44 b.

In alternative embodiments, the lower mating features 30 of the lowerbase portion 12 may include the first upper hinge member 46 a and thesecond upper hinge member 46 b, and the upper mating features 32 of theupper base portion 14 may include the first lower hinge member 34 a andthe second lower hinge member 34 b. That is, the projections 54 a, 54 bmay be disposed on the lower base portion 12 and the receiving portions44 a, 44 b may be disposed on the upper base portion 14. The upper baseportion 14 and/or the lower base portion 12 may each be a component of ahousing assembly (e.g., the housing assembly 15 illustrated in FIGS. 31to 35B) or may each operate independent of the housing assembly.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower base portion 12 may include vacuumconnections 62 and/or electrical connections 64 that operate as quickconnections. That is, when the lower base portion 12 is inserted intothe housing assembly, the vacuum connections 62 and/or electricalconnections 64 automatically engage corresponding vacuum connectionsand/or electrical connections formed in the housing assembly.

In use, the lower base portion 12 and the upper base portion 14 may bein an open position in which the lower base portion 12 is offset fromthe upper base portion 14. More specifically, the lower mating features30 may rotate relative to the upper mating features 32 (or vice versa).In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12, the first lower hingemember 34 a may rotate relative to the first upper hinge member 46 a (orvice versa) and the second lower hinge member 34 b may rotate relativeto the second upper hinge member 46 b (or vice versa). In the openposition, the open end of the inserted sealable bag (that is sealed onthree sides) is inserted within the inner perimeter of the vacuum gasket22 a. The upper base portion 14 is then moved to the closed position (inany manner, such as by pivoting as previously described) such that theopen end of the inserted sealable bag is disposed within the vacuumchamber 24. When a start command is given, such as by pressing a startbutton on an input device that is in communication with the controlunit, air may be evacuated from the vacuum chamber 24 and from theinterior of the sealable bag in a known manner. When the evacuationprocess is complete, one of the two (or more) heating strips 16 a, 16 b,such as the first heating strip 16 a, is engaged or activated to sealthe open edge of the bag and create a sealed bag that is sealed on foursides. The command to engage the first heating strip 16 a may originateautomatically from the control unit after the evacuation process iscomplete, or the command may be initiated by a user pressing a button onthe input device. Air may continue to be evacuated from the vacuumchamber 24 during the sealing process, or the evacuation process may beterminated at any time prior to engagement or activation of one of thetwo (or more) heating strips 16 a, 16 b. Once the sealable bag issealed, the lower base portion 12 is disengaged from the upper baseportion 14 (in any manner, such as by pivoting as previously described).The sealable bag that is sealed can then be removed from the upper baseportion 14 and/or the lower base portion 12. An additional bag may thenbe inserted within the vacuum chamber 24 as previously described, and asecond one of the two (or more) heating strips 16 a, 16 b, such as thesecond heating strip 16 b, is engaged or activated to seal the open endof the additional bag as previously described.

The sealing time may be predetermined by the control unit, or may bemanually adjusted or controlled by the user. Sensors, such as heatsensors, may be in communication with the control unit to alert thecontrol unit (or user) that the transverse seal is secure.

Each of the heating strips 16 a, 16 b may alternate after each use, ormay alternate after a predetermined number of uses. The sensor(s) mayalso allow the control unit to automatically alternate heating strips 16a, 16 b if a limit temperature is reached. In some applications, bothheating strips 16 a, 16 b may be employed simultaneously to form twoparallel transverse seals that improves bond strength.

Accordingly, the two (or more) heating strips 16 a, 16 b allow the userof a vacuum sealer machine to continuously utilize the machine withoutwaiting the usual “cool down” period in which the temperature of singleheating strip decreases. That is, one of the two (or more) heatingstrips 16 a, 16 b will always be in a cool-down state. Existing vacuumsealing machines having a single heat strip require an average 20seconds of “cool down” between cycles and usually after 8 continuouscycles a 20 minute “cool down.” These cool down periods can beeliminated with the two (or more) heating strips 16 a, 16 b of thecurrent configuration.

To facilitate cleaning, the lower base portion 12 and the upper baseportion 14 are removable, as mentioned. To disengage the lower baseportion 12 from the upper base portion 14, the first upper hinge member46 a and the second upper hinge member 46 b are displaced such that theprojections 54 a, 54 are no longer received into the receiving portions44 a, 44 b of the first and second lower hinge members 34 a, 34 b. Thefirst and second upper hinge members 46 a, 46 b may be manuallydisplaced by flexing the tab portions 48 a, 48 b by an outward force(i.e., away from the lower base portion 12) applied along the Y-axis ofthe reference coordinate system of FIG. 10. Instead of manualdisplacement, the projections 54 a, 54 b may be retracted or extended byan automatic mechanism that may be controlled by a user's command.Alternatively, the first and second upper hinge members 46 a, 46 b maybe displaced by a displacement of the lower base portion 12 from theupper base portion 14 along the X-axis of the reference coordinatesystem of FIG. 10. When removed, the lower base portion 12 may becleaned and the surface(s) that partially form(s) the vacuum chamber 24may be drained of fluid. To reinstall the lower base portion 12, theinstallation is reversed. That is, the first and second upper hingemembers 46 a, 46 b are displaced as described above, and the projections54 a, 54 are inserted into the receiving portions 44 a, 44 b of thefirst and second lower hinge members 34 a, 34 b. When the lower baseportion 12 is coupled to the upper base portion 14 (and/or the housingassembly), the operating system may automatically reset itself. Inaddition, the vacuum connections 62 and/or electrical connections 64 areself wiping such that removing and inserting the lower base portion 12from/into the housing assembly ensures secure and active electrical andpneumatic connections between the lower base portion 12 and the upperbase portion 14 (and/or the housing assembly).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower base portion 12 may include vacuumconnections 62 and/or electrical connections 64 that operate as quickconnections. That is, when the lower base portion 12 is inserted intothe housing assembly, the vacuum connections 62 and/or electricalconnections 64 automatically engage corresponding vacuum connectionsand/or electrical connections formed in the housing assembly.

In another embodiment, a mechanism or assembly to create custom-sizedbags is illustrated, and the custom-sized bags can be used in anysuitable vacuum sealing machine, including the vacuum sealing machinepreviously described. The custom bag assembly 10 may be a portion of avacuum sealing machine or may be a stand-alone device. The custom bagassembly 10 may include a roll of material that is pre-sealed along afirst lateral edge and a second lateral edge but is not sealed betweenthe first and second lateral edges. The length of the roll (i.e., thedistance between the first and second lateral edges) may have anysuitable value, such as 10″ or 8″. The roll may be mounted, or may beadapted to be mounted, inside the housing assembly.

The custom bag assembly 10 may also include one or more seal bar or pairof seal bars. The seal bar or pair of seal bars cooperate to form atransverse seal (i.e., a seal that extends from the first lateral edgeto the second lateral edge) on the material stored on the roll, and thetransverse seal, the pre-sealed first lateral edge, and the pre-sealedsecond lateral edge may cooperate to form a sealable bag having a singleopen end that is adapted to be used in a suitable vacuum sealingmachine. The seal bar or pair of seal bars may form any type of seal onthe sealable bag, and the seal bar or pair of seal bars may have aheated portion to form a heat seal. The seal bars or pair of seal barsmay be stationary and may disposed within an interior portion of thehousing along a feed path of the material that is fed from the roll.Alternatively, the seal bars or pair of seal bars may displace relativeto the roll, or the roll may displace relative to the seal bar or pairof seal bars. The seal bars or pair of seal bars may be the dual heatstrip configuration previously described, and the use of the heat stripsmay alternate to reduce down time.

The custom bag assembly 10 may also include a cutting mechanism may bedisposed along the feed path of the material that is fed from the roll,and the cutting mechanism may be disposed adjacent to the seal bar orpair of seal bars. The cutting mechanism may cut the material of theroll adjacent to the transverse seal to create an edge of a sealable baghaving a single open end. The cutting mechanism may be powered in anysuitable manner, such as by an electric motor that may be disposedwithin the housing.

The custom bag assembly 10 may also include a feeding mechanism that mayadvance the material along the feed path that is fed from the roll, andthe feed path may extend from the roll to an outlet location of thecustom bag assembly 10. The feeding mechanism may include one or morerollers and the rollers may be disposed at any suitable location alongthe feed path. The feeding mechanism may be disposed within the housing.The feeding mechanism may be powered by an electric motor that may bedisposed within the housing.

The custom bag assembly 10 may also include a control unit that may bein communication with the feeding mechanism, the cutting mechanism, andthe one or more seal bar or pair of seal bars. The control unit mayinclude one or more microprocessors, and the control unit may bedisposed in any suitable location, such as within the housing.

In operation, a custom bag of an adjustable length may be created by auser. Specifically, the user may initiate the process by entering adesired volume or length (i.e., distance normal to the distance betweenthe first lateral edge and the second lateral edge) of a sealable bag.The user may initiate the process by pressing one of a plurality ofbuttons or keys or areas on an input device (e.g., a touchscreen deviceor a tactile keypad), and the input device may be in communication withthe control unit. Each of the plurality of buttons may correspond to apreselected bag volume. For example, one button may correspond to agallon-sized bag and a second button may correspond to a quart-sizedbag. When a desired size is input (by pressing a corresponding button,for example), the control unit may command the feeding mechanism toadvance a portion of the material of the roll to a predeterminedlocation. One or more sensors that may be in communication with thecontrol unit may be used to accurately position the roll. The controlunit may then command the seal bar or pair of seal bars to form atransverse seal at the portion of the material, and the control unit maynext command the cutting mechanism to cut the material of the rolladjacent to the transverse seal to create an edge of a sealable baghaving a single open end. The control unit may then command the feedingmechanism to advance the sealable bag to the output location, which maybe a slot formed in the housing. A user may then remove the sealable bagfrom the slot, and the sealable bag may be ready to be vacuum sealed. Inother embodiments, the seal bar or pair of seal bars may move relativeto the roll to form a transverse seal at the portion of the material.

In addition to preset sizes, the custom bag assembly 10 may generatecustom-sized sealable bags based on user input. For example, the usermay initiate the process by pressing one of a plurality of buttons onthe input device, such as an advance button in communication with thefeeding mechanism that advances the roll to as long as the button ispressed. The outlet location may be disposed adjacent to the seal bar orpair of seal bars and the cutting mechanism so that the user can see thesize of the bag prior to creating the transverse seal and cutting thetransverse edge. When the user has determined that the roll has advancedto a desired location, the user may release the advance button. A secondbutton, such as a seal button, may then be pressed by the user to createa desired transverse seal and cut edge as previously described. Ifnecessary, the control unit may then command the feeding mechanism toadvance the sealable bag to the output location. A user may then removethe sealable bag from the slot, and the sealable bag may be ready to bevacuum sealed. In other embodiments, the seal bar or pair of seal barsmay move relative to the roll to form a transverse seal at the portionof the material.

The automatic bag creation feature takes the “guess work” out ofcreating a bag for the consumer. The consumer can purchase rolls ofmaterial in bulk, thus saving money and still be able to create a givenbag size as if they purchased it directly from the store in a pre-cutsize. The custom size bag creation also allows for flexibility in thatthe consumer is not limited to a specific bag size, but can create anydesired bag size, based on the roll length.

Example process flow charts are provided in FIGS. 15 to 20.

While various embodiments have been described above, this disclosure isnot intended to be limited thereto, and variations can be made to thedisclosed embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vacuum sealing machine comprising: a baseassembly comprising: a lower base portion having a lower vacuum gasket;and an upper base portion removably secured to the lower base portion,the upper base portion having an upper vacuum gasket, wherein the upperbase portion displaces relative to the lower base portion from a firstclosed position to a second open position, and wherein the lower vacuumgasket and the upper vacuum gasket cooperate to at least partiallydefine a vacuum chamber in the first closed position; two or moreheating strips disposed on a first one of the lower base portion or theupper base portion of the base assembly, wherein each of the two or moreheating strips is adapted to seal a portion of an open end of a sealablebag disposed between the lower base portion and the upper base portion;at least one securement feature disposed on a second one of the lowerbase portion or the upper base portion of the base assembly, the atleast one securement feature adapted to apply pressure to a portion ofthe open end of the inserted sealable bag when the sealable bag issealed by at least one of the heating strips; and a control unitincluding at least one microprocessor and a memory unit, the controlunit in communication with each of the two or more heating strips. 2.The vacuum sealing machine of claim 1, wherein the lower base portionincludes two heating strips.
 3. The vacuum sealing machine of claim 2,wherein the lower base portion includes two heating strips that areelongated and extend along a longitudinal axis.
 4. The vacuum sealingmachine of claim 3, wherein each of the two heating strips extends froma first end to a longitudinally-opposite second end, the first end beingdisposed at or adjacent to a first lateral edge portion of the lowerbase portion and the second end being disposed at or adjacent to asecond lateral edge portion of the lower base portion.
 5. The vacuumsealing machine of claim 1, wherein the upper base portion is releasablycoupled with the lower base portion.
 6. The vacuum sealing machine ofclaim 1, wherein the upper base portion pivots relative to the lowerbase portion from the first closed position to the second open position.7. The vacuum sealing machine of claim 4, wherein the upper base portionincludes two elongated gaskets having a bottom portion that overlaps orcontacts a corresponding portion of a corresponding one of the heatingstrips when the upper and lower base portions are in the first closedposition.
 8. The vacuum sealing machine of claim 1, wherein the lowerbase portion includes one or more lower mating features and the upperbase portion includes one or more upper mating features that cooperatewith the lower mating features to removably and rotatably couple thelower base portion to the upper base portion.
 9. The vacuum sealingmachine of claim 1, wherein the lower base portion and the upper baseportion are adapted to be received into a portion of a housing assembly.10. The vacuum sealing machine of claim 9, wherein at least one of thelower base portion or the upper base portion includes at least one ofvacuum connections or electrical connections that automatically engagecorresponding vacuum connections and/or electrical connections formed onthe housing assembly.
 11. The vacuum sealing machine of claim 1, furthercomprising a first sensor in communication with a first of the two ormore heating strips and a second sensor in communication with a first ofthe two or more heating strips, wherein both the first sensor and secondsensor are in communication with the control unit.
 12. The vacuumsealing machine of claim 10, wherein information from one of the firstsensor or the second sensor is communicated to the control unit, andwherein the control unit determines which of the first heating strip andsecond heating strip to energeize based on the information from the oneof the first sensor or the second sensor.
 13. The vacuum sealing machineof claim 11, wherein the information is a temperature of the firstheating strip or a temperature of the second heating strip.
 14. A methodof controlling a vacuum sealing machine having a lower base portion andan upper base portion that displaces relative to the lower base portionfrom a first closed position to a second open position, the methodcomprising: issuing a first command by a control unit of the vacuumsealing machine to energize a first heating strip disposed on one of thelower base portion or the upper base portion to heat a portion of anopen end of a first sealable bag disposed between the lower base portionand the upper base portion in the first closed position; and issuing asecond command by the control unit of the vacuum sealing machine toenergize a second heating strip disposed adjacent to the first heatingstrip disposed on one of the lower base portion or the upper baseportion to heat a portion of an open end of a second sealable bagdisposed between the lower base portion and the upper base portion inthe first closed position.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the firstcommand is issued by the control unit in response to informationreceived by the control unit from a first sensor in communication withthe first heating strip and the control unit.
 16. The method of claim15, wherein the second command is issued by the control unit in responseto information received by the control unit from a second sensor incommunication with the second heating strip and the control unit. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first command or thesecond command is issued automatically by the control unit.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the first command is issued by the controlunit in response to a reaching a temperature limit and wherein thesecond command is issued by the control unit in response to a reaching atemperature limit.
 19. A method of creating a custom-sized bag having asingle unsealed edge for use with a vacuum sealing machine, the methodcomprising: determining by a control unit a width of a roll of bagmaterial used to make the custom-sized bag; determining by the controlunit a desired bag volume of the custom-sized bag; command a feedingmechanism to advance the roll of bag material a predetermined amountbased on the desired bag volume, wherein the command to the feedingmechanism is issued by the control unit; command at least one seal barto energize to form a transverse seal across the roll of bag materialwhen the roll of bag material advanced the predetermined amount, whereinthe command to energize the at least one seal bar is issued by thecontrol unit; and command a cutting mechanism to activate to cut theroll of bag material adjacent to the transverse seal to create asealable bag having a single open end and the desired bag volume,wherein the command to activate the cutting mechanism is issued by thecontrol unit.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the widthof the roll of bag material is automatically determined by a sensor ordetermined by a user input.
 21. The method of claim 19, whereindetermining desired bag volume of the custom-sized bag is determined bya user input.
 22. The method of claim 19, further comprising: commandthe feeding mechanism to advance the sealable bag having the single openend to an output location.